A message from IPPF’s Western Hemisphere Region

By Alvaro Bernal – Director of Governance and Country Advising, Covid 19 Task Force Member 

Dear Friends, 

Covid-19 has presented large-scale challenges to our work in supporting women, girls and vulnerable communities in the Western Hemisphere region. The closing of clinics, and rollback of viable community outreach, has put strain on our work and, in most cases, applied pressure on the liquidity of Member Associations. 

Through the situation, however, we have seen our network rapidly adapt in innovative ways to ensure access to SRHR services during the crisis. Of our 46 Member Associations and partners, 24 are adapting their service delivery models and reaching to women and girls through innovative approaches, including digital health and telemedicine via phone, online and mobile apps, and also providing telephone counselling, or setting up WhatsApp conversations with community leaders and groups. In some countries like Bolivia, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Paraguay, Member Associations have established home delivery of contraceptive supplies. 

In recent years, IPPF/WHR has implemented a strategy to build resilience of WHR Member Associations and partners, through strengthening governance and management structures, financial processes and procedures, fostering south-south exchanges, and diversifying local income streams through a multi-step social enterprise strategy, which has been put to the test during Covid-19. 

Regardless of how big or small individual organisations, our network continues to support each other, sharing new adapted approaches, tools and resources, ensuring no one is left behind. Covid-19 has indeed stress-tested the resilience our region has been building, and we have been inspired by the solidarity shown across the network. Through two WhatsApp groups for Executive Directors and Presidents of Member Associations, we are understanding each other’s challenges, sharing success, and supporting each other to keep going. 

We continue to recognise the value of our volunteers and governing bodies, who are going the extra mile supporting Member Associations for them to provide essential SRHR services during the crisis. Governing bodies have provided fundamental support to help reconfigure and adapt our partners’ work to meet the needs of women, girls and vulnerable communities during the crisis. The IPPF/WHR Board of Directors has also shown a great commitment to continue supporting the work in our region.

In addition, we are bringing in expertise from outside our network to help strengthen our approach. We have initiated a webinar series to share cross-sector knowledge during the time of Covid-19. The first webinar held, “Dialogue on Economic Impact of Covid-19 in the Americas” took place on April 10th and was led by a Brazilian economist with significant expertise in international financial crises. The webinar allowed our partners to ask questions, discuss and reflect on our collective future.  

While Covid-19 has presented significant challenges to our work, it has also brought to bear the importance of our resilience building efforts, alongside the strength and unity within our network. As a region, we are now looking forward to the next frontier, and asking ourselves some big questions. How do we scale the new approaches to digital health in the region? How can we monetize these services and implement online payment platforms? This further presents opportunities to transform our work, and continue the path of strengthening the network and resilience building we have been paving. 

The COVID-19 Taskforce Microsite and slack channel have been invaluable to share news throughout the Federation. Please do continue to engage with each other and the Taskforce through these channels.

In solidarity,  
Alvaro Bernal

COVID-19 Taskforce